“The spirits remember men who respect others’ schedules,” Tian Zhi said.
“The spirits remember,” Cha Ming replied, passing a pair of sinister-looking men on his way to the stairwell.
Who would have thought I’d end up working at an evil research and development company? Cha Ming thought, shaking his head. Next thing you know, I’ll be making extra-scratchy chairs that keep employees uncomfortable as they work to increase their productivity.
Cha Ming and Tian Zhi were seated on a thick concrete platform, observing red-robed martial artists sparring in the center of Bastion’s Blood Master Monastery. Though there were fifty men fighting one-on-one duels, there were only two sides to the fight: the ones using older, outdated weapons and those using test weapons. Both weapons were bloodred—a branding requirement from the monastery. To differentiate between sides, those using new weapons wore black armbands. Thus far, neither side had the advantage.
“You said you had a surprise,” the sharp-toothed blood master who had visited the Blackthorn Conglomerate a week earlier said, “but thus far, I’m disappointed.”
Xue Xiao was the second-ranking member here. He was a peak-marrow-refining cultivator, and the brimming vitality he let off told Cha Ming he’d survive a fight if all that remained of him was a drop of blood.
“Patience,” Cha Ming said. “The previous generation of weapons was the most cost-effective way to arm your forces at the time. We didn’t have much to work with given your pricing requirements.”
“So you’re saying what we asked for was impossible,” Xue Xiao said flatly.
“I didn’t say that,” Cha Ming said. “I just had to look at other ways to improve combat effectiveness. Whether it was the power, sharpness, elemental conductivity, or power-transfer properties of the weapons, all of them were very close to optimal. There was one area, however, where I could make some improvements.”
“Please enlighten me,” Xue Xiao said.
“The blood masters themselves,” Cha Ming said solemnly. The battle had started only a half minute ago. At first, it hadn’t been obvious, as the fighters were evenly matched. Their weapons, it seemed, were of the same grade. But now, it was growing increasingly clear that the ones with the new weapons were fighting differently. They were forsaking their traditional training in favor of more aggression. Moreover, their raw physical strength was increasing. They were surpassing their limits.
It started with a nick here and there. A few drops of blood spilled. A full minute later, these drops of blood accumulated, and the blood masters using the new blades were scoring more and more hits. Everyone regenerated, of course—blood masters were nothing if not durable—but it seemed the ones with the older weapons were weakening, and those using new ones were growing stronger.
“Interesting,” Xue Xiao said, taking a goblet of red liquid to his lips and taking a sip. It could have been blood, for all Cha Ming knew, and he tried his best not to probe the goblet. “You’ve put something into the weapon that digs into their physical potential.” He grinned a wolf’s grin.
“For most cultivators, this would be a taboo,” Cha Ming said. “And most people don’t have the know-how to do this. I once had the pleasure of crafting a spear from demon blood steel, however, and happened to discover some runes that aligned with its blood-drinking nature. By combining hypnosis-inducing runes with these blood-drinking properties, the weapon feeds on blood from the blood master—or those he wounds—and intensifies the hypnosis. It removes the body’s limits, which exist to avoid damaging it. But since this damage isn’t a problem for blood masters, they should be able to use the weapons to great effect. It’s only…”
“Only what?” Abbot Xue Xiao asked. “This is a grand idea! Why would we bother with defense when more offense would suffice? Why care about being reckless?”
As he spoke, bodies began hitting the floor. Referees interrupted the battles, though Cha Ming noticed they had to forcefully restrain some of the combatants.
“I’m just concerned about the long-term effects of the hypnosis,” Cha Ming said. “As you can see, those blood masters using the blades were a little lacking in self-control. And since blood masters aren’t exactly known for their strict discipline—” He heard a crack and realized that the concrete bench Xue Xiao was sitting on had crumbled due to the man’s crushing grip.
“I might have misheard,” Xue Xiao said. “Surely you didn’t just insult our entire organization?”
Cha Ming paled. “I wouldn’t dare do such a thing. I’m only being cautious. The results here, though shockingly advantageous, should still be tested by a smaller rollout of such a line of weapons. Anything like this should be done slowly. Cautiously.”
Xue Xiao shook his head and pulled his lips into a line. “We don’t have time for that. We need something to strengthen our forces, and we need it fast. Armed a month earlier is prepared a month earlier. Fighting could break out at any moment.”
“We could arm the entire Bastion Monastery,” suggested Tian Zhi, who’d been sitting beside Cha Ming the entire time. “If all goes well, we could move on with a massive contract for the entire clergy.”
Xue Xiao nodded. “You might not know this, but we’ve approached many weapons manufacturers. We’ve even had scholars who’ve studied in Haijing devise new weapons for us. They couldn’t do anything worthwhile, not while maintaining the same cost per unit. It just wasn’t worth replacing all our existing weapons. This, however, is a substantial improvement. I sensed a thirty-percent increase in battle prowess. Even if the increase can only be sustained a short while, it’s still a significant gain.”
“Then should I submit a contract to your scribes and begin processing the order?” Tian Zhi asked. He might be a researcher, but he was a businessman first and foremost.
“I’d like them as quickly as you can manage, within budget,” Xue Xiao said.
“Great!” Tian Zhi said. “Well, Pai Xiao, let’s be off. I’ll be sure to apply for the maximum reward for your efforts.”
“Thank you, Boss Tian,” Cha Ming said.
